Along with its raised earth floor that connects the home’s three volumes, timber on the interior and exterior gives this home its natural feel. Daylighting floods through a tall window, somtimes giving the untreated wood a golden glow. The two-storey design is supposed to accommodate new additions as the family grows, while a garden outside ensures that everyone who visits will be fed yummy home-grown vegetables. Japan’s Ministry of Environment considers the home, which sits on a verdant plot a model worth emulating, and we have to agree.